Date: Sunday 19th April 2026

Venue: Arnolfini

Time: 19:00 - 21:30

Tickets: £10 (£12 solidarity, £8 concessions)

✅ Live Streamed (book a ‘Live Stream Ticket’ at checkout)

✅ All Lyra Fest venues are wheelchair accessible. Access Information Pack available at www.lyrafest.com.

Lyra Bristol Poetry Slam Finals 2026

Come along to see 10 of Bristol's finest wordsmiths battle it out to be crowned the 2026 Lyra Bristol Poetry Slam Champion, as well as feature performances from acclaimed headline poets Musa Okwonga and Caitlin O'Ryan!

The winning poet will need to impress the judging panel as well as YOU, the audience, who have the biggest say of all. Raucous, energetic and passionate, this is an audience favourite at Lyra Festival and a landmark event in Bristol's cultural calendar.

Also featuring poetry from the 2025 Lyra Bristol Slam Champion, Ben Vince.

Artist Bios:

Musa Okwonga:

Musa Okwonga is an award-winning author whose work explores culture, politics and society. He studied law at St. John’s College, University of Oxford, where he is now an Honorary Fellow. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he has written eight books. The co-host of the Stadio football podcast, his recent publications include One of Them: An Eton College Memoir (2021), In The End, It Was All About Love (2021), and Striking Out (co-authored with Ian Wright), (2021), winner of the 2022 Sunday Times Children’s Sports Book of the Year Award. He lives in Berlin.

Caitlin O'Ryan:

Caitlin O’Ryan is an actor and poet from Greater Manchester and now based in London. She has headlined several of London’s leading spoken word nights including: spitnights, Groove Verse, Poet’s Palace, VERSES x Roundhouse and the international franchise Voices in Power. She also performs as part of Sofar Sounds and has been commissioned by the likes of the British Heart Foundation, Refuge and Amnesty International - performing on the latter’s behalf at Glastonbury Festival 2025.

Best known for her recurring role as Lizzie Wemyss in the hit TV show Outlander, her poem ‘At What Point’ about the cost of being a woman in today’s society, has amassed over 18 million views online, and led to an appearance on BBC Woman’s Hour. Several of her poems have gone viral, and her work has been shared by the likes of Jameela Jamil, Natasha Bedingfield, Deborah Frances-White (The Guilty Feminist), and Sara Cox.

She hosts her own podcast called ‘Have You Got Your Sh*t Together?’, which is a celebration of not having your sh*t together. Guests include notable poets, musicians, politicians and actors.

In August, Caitlin released her debut poetry collection ‘At What Point’ with Burning Eye Books. She was invited to launch the book at the Edinburgh International Book** Festival, where she appeared in conversation with Hollie McNish. She plans to take the collection on tour, with upcoming performances including the Cheltenham Literary Festival in October.

Caitlin’s poetry is known for being vulnerable, confronting and extremely relatable.

Part of Lyra – Bristol Poetry Festival 2026
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Entry requirements: 16+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio — Read more — Read less